The Imposing Semblance
by spifftastic ino
Summary: Sakura acts a servant in the Uchiha home. Hungry for change, Sakura is puzzled, yet excited when Ino befriends her, giving her her first step to running away, and starting a new life. Lesbian Cinderella Story. SakxIno some SakxIta ...Rated MA for now.
1. Intro

_The Imposing Semblance_

-A story loosely based on Cinderella-

Takes place in a "fairy tale" setting

Warnings: It is a girl-girl fanfiction between Sakura and Ino, and a little bit of Sakura and Itachi

Mature Content (violence, language, and sexual imagery)

I don't have a peer-edit, so there may be lots of typos, and my grammar sucks. I apologize. This is just for fun, so I don't feel like putting in any extra effort, ya'know?

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Naruto

**Chapter Zero (Intro)**

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><p>It was early. Sakura scurried into the kitchen; she had woken up late, and now must hurry to prepare breakfast for her stepfather and stepbrothers. A strand of pink hair lightly touched her cheek, and she quickly brushed it away as she started to gather the proper ingredients to make pancakes. Hopefully, she wouldn't be beaten for a "distasteful" breakfast. She never knew what was right and what was wrong, she just prayed every day that she could avoid at least one hit. As she threw the door to the fridge open, she was startled by a voice.<p>

"You'll wake father making all that noise, you know better, Cherry…" It was the older of the two brothers, Itachi. He approached the frantic girl and calmly closed the fridge before she could retrieve any of her ingredients. Itachi leaned down, his nose almost touching hers as he whispered, his eyes piercing her bright green ones, "Now," he brushed his hand against her shoulder, she shuddered, "shhh, don't worry my little Cherry blossom, no one will hear us, well, as long as you keep your pretty little mouth shut."

Sakura gulped, she knew what was to come, but she didn't know the extent, or how long it would last, but she knew what Itachi wanted. He had come to her many times in the past few years, wanting her sex, taking her sex. Sakura had never fought it, and she knew if she did, she would receive some punishment from Itachi himself, or even Fugaku. If Sakura did not do as any of the three men please, she was in trouble. Sakura closed her eyes as Itachi pushed her up against the fridge, frisking her, his fingers inched their way up the skirt of her dress.

"Getting started early, Itachi? Can't you wait for her to at least finish breakfast? I'm starving." Sasuke had been standing in the doorway, arms crossed, leaning against the frame. He tapped his foot as if he'd been waiting for several minutes. Itachi released the girl who quickly returned to her previous chore. "Don't forget the blueberries, Sakura," Sasuke warned before leaving the kitchen, followed by the elder brother.

Sakura let out a small sigh of relief. She heard her brothers talking in the other room, but she couldn't make out their mumbles, so she disregarded it. Most of the time, they weren't talking about anything really important. Sasuke always seemed to be irritated because Fugaku favored Itachi, which is one reason Sasuke never tried to bed Sakura, if he had, Itachi would most likely throw a fit. He wasn't the kind of man to let others _touch his things_. Sakura was definitely, if anyone's, Itachi's.

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><p>Sakura served each male, starting with Fugaku, then Itachi, and finally Sasuke. She made sure Sasuke's pancakes had plenty of blueberries in them. She returned to the kitchen where she ate her own breakfast. Sakura would rather stay in the kitchen than listen to the men talk about her as if she were an item, or talk as if she weren't in the room at all. She obeyed their every wish, and did every command. She felt she had no choice, Sakura had imagined running away a million times, but she did not dare try. She knew no one outside of the house. The pink haired girl had been too afraid to make any friends for fear that one of the men would find out and she would be beaten for it, or her privileges (if you could call it a privilege) of leaving the house to do the shopping would be revoked.<p>

Emerald eyes gazed out the window. A dream had been forming, a dream of a life better than the one she had been living since she was seven. Sakura loved her mother dearly, and loved her even more now that she knew how hard life was without her. She knew her mother didn't choose to leave when she did. Sakura's mother had been a victim to a tragic accident... Sakura talked, often, to her dead mother. She didn't have any other friends, and this one was the only safe one, the only one no one in the world could take away from her because her mother was already gone. Only a figment of her imagination. Her mother, as she thought of her, probably wasn't like her mother at all, but it was all she had to go on. Her mother was the only person who ever truly loved her, and the only person Sakura ever loved in return. Sakura closed her eyes gently, and felt the sun dance on her face. A small smile formed as she thought of her mother holding her, whispering, "My little Sakura, I love you," and kissing her forehead before placing her in her bed and tucking her in for the night. Sakura opened her eyes again, realizing she should retrieve the mens' dishes. She was in no position to be slacking, but, when was she in a position to slack anyway? Sakura hurried into the dining room and, luckily, the men were just about done eating. She skillfully picked up all the dishes and took them to the sink in one trip.

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><p>Beauty was something Saukra held, but never revealed. When she left the house, she always wrapped herself up as if she was hiding something. To most, she looked very suspicious, but to regulars at the market, she was known as <em>that girl<em>. Sakura was unaware of this, but she soon wouldn't be. As Sakura browsed the aisles, she had been too distracted by a crying baby to notice she was going to walk into another girl. Colliding, Sakura dropped her basket of groceries, and the other girl, slightly taller, long blond hair, blue eyes, dropped her purse. "I'm so sorry!"

"Don't worry about it, you dropped more than I did." The girl bent down to pick up some of Sakura's things.

"I can get it," Sakura whispered. She scooped up as much of the dropped goods as she could before the blond girl could get to them.

"It's okay to let someone help, ya'know? You're _that girl, _aren't you? The one everyone says keeps to herself? I'm Ino, I'm sure you have a name..." Ino waited for a reply, but Sakura was already on her feet. Ino stood up, and stopped Sakura from leaving. "You are gonna tell me your name, aren't you?"

She gulped, "Ch-Cherry." Sakura didn't know why she picked the pet name Itachi used for her, but she felt it was safer than revealing her actual name.

"Well, Cherry, why don't you lighten up," taking her basket from her she smiled, "I'll take care of your groceries, come with me."

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><p>Please review!<p>

Thanks for reading, next chapter will be up soon!


	2. Chapter 1

_The Imposing Semblance_

-A story loosely based on Cinderella-

Takes place in a "fairy tale" setting

Warnings: It is a girl-girl fanfiction between Sakura and Ino, and a little bit of Sakura and Itachi

Mature Content (violence, language, and sexual imagery)

I don't have a peer-edit, so there may be lots of typos, and my grammar sucks. I apologize. This is just for fun, so I don't feel like putting in any extra effort, ya'know?

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Naruto

**Chapter One**

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><p>Sakura was a little confused, as Ino dragged her out of the marketplace and into the streets of the town. Sakura started to panic, she didn't know her way around, and she might get in trouble for being late home. "Stop!" Sakura ripped herself away from Ino, she didn't really want to, she wanted to go wherever Ino was going, but she was scared.<p>

"What's wrong?" Ino stopped, looked around, noticed all the people staring at them and sighed. She whispered, "Let's keep things calm, okay, Cherry?" It seemed that Ino was concerned about something as well, but it was something then and there, not something waiting for her at home. Ino was beautiful, and Sakura was just now taking it in. Them being stopped, Ino inches away from her face, those light blue eyes staring at her. They made her dizzy. Ino was smooth, and pretty. She was like a baby, so soft and gentle looking, inviting too. Sakura almost wanted to grab Ino and hold her. Something was compelling about her, something that reminded her of her mother... Protective, maybe? Sakura couldn't put a finger on it.

"I'm-" Sakura stopped and changed her mind, "I'm going to be late. I have a previous engagement. I need to go home and prepare the meal, that's all." The pink haired girl swallowed dryly and turned away from the beautiful girl. Ino touched her shoulder lightly, and felt the small shudder Sakura made. Ino knew, somehow, Sakura was broken.

"Then, let me walk you home."

Sakura would like that, but if the men were to look out the window and see them, how would she explain it? Sakura shook her head, "No, I think it's better if I walk myself..."

"C'mon, what will it hurt?" Ino smiled lightly and wrapped her arm around the fragile girl's shoulders, "At least halfway?"

Sakura nodded, "Halfway..." Sakura's mind was frantically trying to figure out how to explain to Ino that she wasn't allowed to have friends. She didn't know how to say she would love to see Ino again, but couldn't. It was too risky, right? There was no way Sakura could pull it off. She had always been so quick in her shopping, that if she snuck away for maybe an extra ten minutes, it may be noticed if it happened too frequently.

Ino handed Sakura her basket, "I best not keep your groceries," she smiled as they walked toward Sakura's home. The blond girl was also wearing an outfit that hid her beauty, Sakura hadn't notice until then, because Ino had her shaw around her shoulders instead of her head. It looked as though Ino wanted Sakura to see her, but normally was trying to hide herself. Maybe Sakura was making assumptions, but she couldn't help but feel as if they were very similar.

Sakura walked quickly, and Ino slowed her down. She kept talking to the pink haired girl in a soothing voice, letting her know that life was going to be okay if she just took her time. "I know you have a previous engagement, but Cherry you had enough time to walk home normally, so walk home normally..."

"I'm just nervous," Sakura said quietly, "I don't talk to people..."

"I could tell, that's why I wanted to talk to you."

"That's a funny reason."

"Not really, I was always interested in you," Ino paused, "I've been watching you for a while."

"Oh..." Sakura blushed slightly, "I didn't ever notice you..."

"It's not a good habit, I mean, being unaware of your surroundings. How are you suppose to get anywhere if you're always looking down?"

"I'm not suppose to get anywhere... I'm suppose to stay stuck, that's just how it is." Sakura looked up, she knew they were approaching the house, "I think this is where we should part. It's a little more halfway, I really don't live far from the market..."

Ino frowned a little, "What will it hurt if I finish walking you home? You'll get in trouble?"

"Precisely."

"Oh." Ino stopped walking, and so did Sakura. The blue eyes seemed to stare at her green ones with such empathy. Sakura had never felt so cared about before... "When are you shopping next? I'll meet you, help you do you shopping... And walk you halfway again." She smiled warmly, "I want to see you again, Cherry."

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><p>As Sakura entered the house she closed the door ever so lightly, as not to make a noise. <em>Well, mom, I finally did it... I talked to someone else, and I liked it. A lot, actually. She's so different from me, so confident, I wish I were more like her mom. <em>Sakura put all the groceries away and started dinner right away. Sakura was way too dazed to eat, so when the men finished eating that night, she went straight to bed. Sakura's "room" was the basement, it was spacious, but she slept on a battered mattress and had no furniture to call her own. She left the few clothes she owned in a pile, and held no real possessions. Not long after Sakura had closed her eyes, she heard the familiar squeak of her door, and the footsteps of Itachi, who grabbed her, without knowing whether she was asleep or not and pulled her into his arms, "Little Cherry, gone to bed so early? You forgot to wish me goodnight... But there's still time."

Usually Itachi made Sakura come to his room, but this time he decided he wanted her right then, since his morning session had been interrupted. Sakura hadn't even really noticed, but Itachi had already pulled her panties off, and he was atop her. Sakura laid back again and closed her eyes, as if she was resuming her sleep. The act didn't really phase her anymore. She was use to it by now. But, something was different this time, she knew that women were completely different than men, but she started to imagine Ino in Itachi's place, and somehow it was more bearable, even... More enjoyable...

Itachi's hair spewed over Sakura, and she could feel it against her shoulders and chest. With her eyes closed she imagined the hair touching her was Ino's, blond and beautiful, unlike the dark black mess that really was tickling her. The coarse hands that pushed her down, held her roughly, suddenly became gentle and soft. Sakura, didn't even realize it, but she was wrapping her arms around Itachi, she had gone so far in the back of her mind, she had almost convinced herself that it was Ino. When Sakura finally opened her eyes she was almost terrified at what she saw, but Itachi seemed to be even more pleased than normal... She hadn't meant to give him that impression, but she wasn't about to take it back now.

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><p>Please review! Criticism is appreciated. :)<p>

Thanks for reading, next chapter will be up soon!


	3. Chapter 2

_The Imposing Semblance_

-A story loosely based on Cinderella-

Takes place in a "fairy tale" setting

Warnings: It is a girl-girl fanfiction between Sakura and Ino, and a little bit of Sakura and Itachi

Mature Content (violence, language, and sexual imagery)

I don't have a peer-edit, so there may be lots of typos, and my grammar sucks. I apologize. This is just for fun, so I don't feel like putting in any extra effort, ya'know?

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Naruto

**Chapter Two**

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><p>Sakura couldn't wait to go to the market. It seemed like months she waited, but what hurt more than waiting was Sakura's imagination. What if she didn't show? What if something happened to the beautiful blond Ino? Sakura finally felt like she had something to look forward to, and the idea of it being taken away from her so quickly scared her. The men also noticed a change in Sakura's behavior, especially Itachi, who first saw the change the first night Sakura met Ino. They didn't know what had happened, but at the moment, it wasn't enough to complain about. Itachi was under the impression that it was himself who had but his little cherry in a better mood. Sasuke, too believed the theory, but the men couldn't be sure. What else could have happened? Nothing had really happened, Sakura's mood just seemed to shift out of nowhere. She was happier- making her work less dreary, and the men didn't mind the house getting cleaned faster, the food made with more care, and more attention being paid to little details. Sakura had been making everything perfect because every waking second Sakura imagined doing these chores for Ino.<p>

The jealousy Sasuke had toward Itachi was growing, after the pink haired girl seemed to brighten up, she appeared more beautiful than ever. Sasuke always acted as if he hated the girl, but he wanted what his brother had. It wasn't fair in his eyes that Itachi was spoiled. What did he do anyway? He wasn't that much better than Sasuke. Itachi didn't do anything more than Sasuke did. He might have been the oldest, but the two brothers really didn't have anything that really stood out. No qualities that should make one better than the other. Fugaku didn't really even know why he favored the eldest boy, but he didn't want to upset anyone by changing anything, so he let the household function the way it always had.

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><p>Sakura left the house a few minutes early. She was rather eager, and couldn't wait any longer. Once the house was out of sight, she hurried down to the market. The walk was short, and even shorter because Sakura had hurried. Her stomach was in knots as she scanned the market. No sign of Ino... She was early, but it was rather disheartening. Sakura swallowed dryly as she started her shopping; there was no reason to stand in the market doing nothing. She was sure Ino would spot her, but Sakura frequently scanned the place in anticipation.<p>

It had seemed like an hour by the time Ino had got there, but Sakura didn't seem to care once she was there. "Ino," she smiled warmly, "you're here!" Sakura had never felt so happy before. She wanted to wrap her arms around the other girl, but she was too nervous. Sakura wasn't sure if she was allowed to do that yet. She didn't want to make her only friend uncomfortable.

"I told you I would be," Ino brushed some of Sakura's hair out of her face, "Cherry." The blond haired girl helped Sakura with her groceries, all the while they talked softly about almost nothing, then, suddenly, "I want to see you somewhere other than the market..." Ino knew Cherry had a secret to hide, but she was determined to slowly squeeze it out of her. The truth was, Ino had her own secret locked up inside of her.

Sakura swallowed, "That's not a very good idea..."

"It can't be that bad, what would happen? If you asked..."

"I can't... I'm... Not really allowed... I'm a..." Sakura couldn't get the words out of her mouth. She wanted to tell Ino everything.

Ino sighed lightly, "I'm not sure what is the matter, but we could plan something else, sneak out? See each other?"

"Maybe..." Sakura wanted to. She wanted so desperately to get out of the place she was, but sneaking out and coming back would be hard. She didn't want to get caught, didn't want to get in trouble. She didn't know what punishment she would receive for pulling a stunt like that. Sakura had been hit for the smallest things- forgetting to do the laundry, not picking up a dish, leaving something out, and a lot more. She didn't want to see what would happen if she did something normal teenagers were punished for. She had never disobeyed before, and she wasn't sure if she should start now.

"Come on, Cherry, what is so bad that you can't see me? I'm sure your parents would understand. You're allowed to have friends, right?"

Sakura shook her head, "I'm a servant..." She looked down at her groceries.

Ino finally made sense of the mess, "Ah! Well, not for long, Cherry, I can get you out of there!"

Sakura shook her head again, "It's too fast, I can't keep up... It's crazy Ino."

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><p>Thanks for the reviews so far! I know there's not a lot, but it's enough to make me keep writing. :)<br>Sorry it took longer to update.

Thanks for reading, reviewing, and for your input; I appreciate it!


	4. Chapter 3

_The Imposing Semblance_

-A story loosely based on Cinderella-

Takes place in a "fairy tale" setting

Warnings: It is a girl-girl fanfiction between Sakura and Ino, and a little bit of Sakura and Itachi

Mature Content (violence, language, and sexual imagery)

I don't have a peer-edit, so there may be lots of typos, and my grammar sucks. I apologize. This is just for fun, so I don't feel like putting in any extra effort, ya'know?

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Naruto

**Chapter Three**

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><p>Sakura wasn't happy with the way she dealt with Ino, but they had agreed to meet at the market again. Ino was trying really hard to get Sakura to runaway, but Sakura didn't find that to be the best idea. It was too sudden, and the stress was weighing on her in her daily work. Itachi had noticed, and couldn't understand the pink haired girl's sudden mood shifts. Sasuke looked at this as an opportunity to step in.<p>

Sakura had been sitting on her make-shift bed when Sasuke entered her room. The emerald eyes met the grey ones, and she asked, "What do you need?" Without answering, the younger brother sat next to her and shrugged a little bit. "Then why are you in here?"

"I thought you might want to talk... "

"About what?" Sakura was confused, this was so out of character, and she didn't know how to take it.

"You seem upset lately..."

"So? Why would you care?" Sakura knew she was pushing her boundaries talking to Sasuke that way, but she was honestly more scared of Itachi and Fugaku.

"Well, you are a part of this house... Even if you're treated like a servant... You still deserve to be cared about..." He set a hand on her shoulder, "And I care about you Sakura..."

Sakura closed her eyes, "What are you saying? You never say anything to me," she opened her eyes again, "except to tell me what to do... Itachi only talks to me when... Ya'know... And Fugaku only yells. I don't understand what there is to care about when you don't even know me!" Sakura eyes had a small glimmer to them, caused by the tears that were filling her eyes. No one ever liked her, and suddenly, she felt like the world loved her, even if it were just Sasuke and Ino. Sakura wasn't exactly sure how to handle it.

Sasuke averted his eyes and retracted his hand, "I just... see the way Itachi looks at you, and it makes... It makes me wish I had it... He looks at you like something... I wanted you to know, I look at you like someone..." Sasuke took in a deep breath, "I didn't mean to offend you... Or make you even more upset... I just thought, since no one is ever here to hear you, I would start listening... I may not know you, but I do care about you..."

"It's just... Sudden..." Everything was so sudden!

"I'm sorry, Sakura... I should have said something sooner, but... It's like Itachi owns you..."

Sakura laughed a little as a few tears escaped, "Yeah, he pretty much does..."

"Marry me," Sasuke whispered, "you don't have to be his anymore, Sakura..."

"What?" Sakura's heart stooped, she hadn't expected this at all. Something in her screamed no, but her head was contemplating it. If she married Sasuke, she would get out of this house, she could see Ino if she wanted, but she was afraid that if she married Sasuke, Ino wouldn't be interested... It wasn't like Ino would give up a friendship... It was more that Sakura was hoping there was more between her and Ino... But she didn't know Ino... She knew Sasuke, and she knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't tie her down like Itachi. Sasuke, out of the men, was the calmest and nicest... It wasn't a bad idea at all.

"I just thought... I'm sorry..." Sasuke looked down and bit his lip.

Sakura closed her eyes again letting a few more tears trickle down her face, "It's a nice offer, I'll... Think on it... But... Itachi is probably waiting for me... I just don't... want to upset him..." Sakura stood up quickly and left the room.

As she walked to Itachi's door, she wiped her tears away, and hesitated before opening it... If she wanted... She could take Sasuke's offer... Or she could run away... Or... She shook her head, no. Taking a breath, she entered the room where Itachi had been waiting. He was lying in his bed, and Sakura, normally wouldn't hesitate to strip down and join him, but tonight, she just stood at the foot of the bed. Sakura had a lot to think about, and right now, she wasn't in the mood to be a little sex toy. "I'm," she gulped, "I'm not doing it tonight."

Itachi sat up, "What did you say?"

"I'm not going to do this tonight..." Sakura closed her eyes, and heard the sheets rustle as Itachi got out of the bed, she listened to the footsteps get closer to her, and finally, she felt the slap across the face, but she didn't budge. Her eyes stayed shut, her feet stayed on the ground, and she did not move her head.

"Being stubborn are we? Look at me. Look at me!" Sakura stayed still, and Itachi screamed, "Look at me little bitch!" He grabbed her hair, and spat at her, "Open your fucking eyes, I said look at me!" He threw her to the ground by her hair, and Sakura stayed there. Itachi continued to yell, and started to hit the girl on the ground, but she never budged, and her eyes stayed closed.

When Itachi was finished, Sakura could feel the welts and bruises, and her soiled thighs were throbbing, she knew they were soiled with blood, and she hadn't even opened her eyes, she hadn't made one sound, and she knew, soon she was about to break. She would cry soon, and she knew she was broken... The man lifted her off the ground and dragged her into the hallway. As he dropped her, he said stiffly, "Maybe you'll think next time you try to defy me."

Sakura finally opened her eyes, but the house was dark and even if it wasn't, her eyes were too blurred out to see anything. Finally she let out a small sob before the flood came. Curling up into a ball on the floor, she cried and cried. Her aching body was numb, she didn't even feel the hand that was rubbing her back and arms, it wasn't until the wet kisses hit her neck that she even noticed the younger brother. Sakura cried, "Why are you doing that?"

Sasuke stopped immediately... He looked away and said quietly, "I thought it might make you feel better..." Sakura, without answering, continued to cry, and Sasuke hadn't the slightly clue on what to do. He asked, "Can I do anything? At all?"

Sakura didn't know what to do, she wanted to be held, but not by Sasuke... She wanted to be kissed, but not by Sasuke... She wanted to talked to, but not by Sasuke... She wanted Ino... "Sasuke..." She hiccuped, "Take me to my room?" The younger sibling was very careful as he picked the battered girl up and carried her to her room. Setting her down on her make-shift bed, he covered her up with a blanket, and left the room to get a few things to aid her wounds.

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><p>Sakura wasn't exactly the prettiest sight to look at the next time she saw Ino. The pink haired girl's skin was spotted in blues and blacks, and she wouldn't look up at the blond, she simply said, "I want to run... I don't want to stay anymore... I have all my belongings with me, and I want to leave now..."<p>

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><p>Thanks for the reviews so far! I know there's not a lot, but it's enough to make me keep writing. :)<br>Sorry it took longer to update.  
>And sorry Sasuke is OOC, but they all are really.<p>

Thanks for reading, reviewing, and for your input; I appreciate it!


	5. Chapter 4

_The Imposing Semblance_

-A story loosely based on Cinderella-

Takes place in a "fairy tale" setting

Warnings: It is a girl-girl fanfiction between Sakura and Ino, and a little bit of Sakura and Itachi

Mature Content (violence, language, and sexual imagery)

I don't have a peer-edit, so there may be lots of typos, and my grammar sucks. I apologize. This is just for fun, so I don't feel like putting in any extra effort, ya'know?

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Naruto

**Chapter Four**

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><p>Ino walked along side Sakura, afriad that if she touched her, she might hurt the girl. About a ten minutes into their silent walk, Ino asked, "What happened, Cherry?"<p>

"I got a beating for not... For not..." Sakura's eyes whelmed with tears, "I just didn't do what I was told..." The girl grimaced a little, "And... My name's Sakura, not Cherry... I lied to you, sorry."

"I like Cherry better anyway," Ino said promptly, the lie didn't phase her, she understood, "It's a cute nickname..."

"I usually talk to my mother about these things... But, ever since I met you, I've needed her less." Sakura realized she left out an important detail to her last statements, "My dead mother, that is..."

Ino nodded a little, "You have someone here to talk to now, but, Cherry, I wouldn't ever stop talking to her if I were you. I bet she likes it," Ino smiled, "I would if I were her."

Sakura nodded, "I think she does... She was always dear to me... My mother married the man whose house I live- er- lived in, and one of his sons is the one who did this to me. They were much nicer when my mother was still alive, but the second she was gone I became a servant instead of part of the family... It was only _right _that I work, since my mother and I had nothing... They said I was lucky they didn't orphan me."

"I'm sorry... Let's stop here..." The two girls were standing by a small pond, shaded by trees, and a little off the road, "It'll be a long walk to where we're going."

The two girls sat near the water, and Ino tended the other girls wounds, "Who took care of you last night? You couldn't have done all this by yourself, the bandages and cleaning up..."

"The younger sibling..." Sakura felt her breath stop as she thought of Sasuke's proposition, "He asked me to marry him, but... I don't want to." The pink hair girl winced a little as Ino rubbed some ointment over her wounds, and closed her eyes as Ino made her way to tending her back, carefully reaching into the other girls clothing, and being very gentle. Sakura whispered, "I'm fond of you, Ino..."

"I'm fond of you too, Cherry, very fond." Ino smiled a little, "I'm not only helping you, ya'know? You'll be helping me sooner than you know, but that's a secret. I want to tell you when the time is right, that and you need to heal, I don't want you all battered up when we make our new plans..."

Sakura's head rushed with ideas, but she knew nothing about Ino, and hadn't any idea what she was talking about.

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><p>Ino had brought Sakura to a cottage in the woods, away from everyone. "This is where you live?"<p>

"Not exactly... It's a home away from home... I'll explain when the time is right, just as I'm sure you'll explain a bunch of things to me." Ino smiled politely, "These things take time, and I'm sure we both have some shocking stories to tell... I just don't want to put you into shock by telling it to you all at once."

Ino let Sakura into the cottage, showed her around, "I'm sorry, there's only one bedroom, we can share when I stay, or I can sleep on the couch-"

"When you stay? So you'll be leaving... To your real home?"

"Yeah, I guess you could call it my real home... I'll visit frequently, but I can't always stay. It's safe out here, you don't have to worry... No one really knows where this is anyway... Anyone who finds it, has found it by chance, not because they were looking for it."

"I see..." Sakura sat down on the bed... The bed... She closed her eyes and whispered, "I haven't slept on a real bed in years..." She slowly lowered herself into the mattress, the only mattress she's felt besides Itachi's since her mom had passed away.

"It'll be a good place for you to stay while you heal... I'll make you some tea, I'll be back in a little bit, Cherry." Ino kissed the battered girl's forehead and left the room.

Sakura wondered if the men would try to find her... Fugaku probably didn't care all that much, but Itachi and Sasuke were bound to get annoyed by her absence. Sakura curled up on the bed, and before she knew it, she was napping lightly. When Ino returned, Sakura's eyes flickered open, "It's nice here..." Sakura looked around again, to make sure she hadn't been dreaming, "The bed... Is really comfy... I fell asleep, actually..."

"You'll need the rest, you're worn out. If I had known, I would have left you alone..." Ino set the tea on the nightstand and paced the room a little, "I'm going to stay tonight, and leave in the morning, but I will stay tomorrow night as well... I just have... Life to attend to..."

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><p>Thanks for reading, reviewing, and for your input; I appreciate it! A lot!<p> 


	6. Chapter 5

_The Imposing Semblance_

-A story loosely based on Cinderella-

Takes place in a "fairy tale" setting

Warnings: It is a girl-girl fanfiction between Sakura and Ino, and a little bit of Sakura and Itachi

Mature Content (violence, language, and sexual imagery)

I don't have a peer-edit, so there may be lots of typos, and my grammar sucks. I apologize. This is just for fun, so I don't feel like putting in any extra effort, ya'know?

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Naruto

**Chapter Five**

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><p>Sakura healed up quickly with Ino's help, and the days Ino hadn't been there, the thought of her helped Sakura care for herself. The two girls loved one another's company, and spent hours in the night talking to each other. When they did sleep, they slept in each other's arms. Sakura wondered if Ino felt what she felt, but did not question her, or push any boundaries. She did not question Ino about why she was gone so frequently, and didn't really want to know. She was happy the way she was and did not want to do anything that may disturb her bliss.<p>

Days had turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. Before Sakura knew what was going on, she had stopped talking to her mother except in a brief moment when she told her goodnight.

Then, Ino stopped coming home, and after a couple of days, Sakura went back to talking to her mother, but she could only talk about Ino, and how she was worried about her. A day seemed like an eternity without Ino, and Sakura was scared to leave the cottage. She was sure Itachi was looking for her. She was also concerned because she didn't know which way would take her to the village, and if she made it to the village, she hadn't the slightest idea how to get back.

Sakura started to run out of food, and Ino hadn't been home for 2 weeks. The pink haired girl started to panic. _Where is she? Mom, I'm scared, what do I do? If she doesn't ever come back, where do I go? What do I do? I miss her, I hope she didn't leave me here on purpose... No, she wouldn't do that, would she? Mom, I'm even more scared than I was that night Itachi beat me up... I would relive that if I knew I'd see Ino again. _Sakura sat at the window most of the day, staring blankly at the outdoors, not knowing which direction her precious Ino may come from.

Finally, breaching her fifth week of absence, Ino was home. Sakura jumped up from her spot at the window and rushed outside. She grabbed the bags from Ino's hands, and rushed them inside. Ino stood in the doorway a long while, while Sakura set the bags on the table. Sakura was silent, and Ino made no movement from her place at the door. The tension was building, and million questions rushed through Sakura's head. _Where were you? What happened? Why didn't you warn me? Are you okay? _But no words would pass the pink haired girl's lips.

After what seemed to be, to both the girls, at least 20 minutes, Ino whispered, "I have to tell you something, Cherry." Ino pulled herself away from the door and closed it behind her. She wrapped an arm around Sakura and continued, "How do you feel about marriage?"

"I don't want to get married..." Sakura was confused, "Why?"

"I feel the same way," Ino squeezed Sakura's shoulder, "so, marry me."

"What? How?" Sakura couldn't comprehend what would make the blond girl even purpose such a ridiculous thing! Women couldn't get married! Sakura had strong feelings for Ino, but she didn't know if this meant she felt them back, or what.

"I have to get married," Ino said calmly, "and there's a big party happening tomorrow night, I have to pick a man... But... If you dress up like a boy Cherry, I could pick you, and then, I don't have to really get married... You see?"

Sakura nodded lightly before saying, "I see... Why do you have to get married? And why is there a big party?"

Ino took in a deep breath, "I knew I had to tell you eventually... I... I'm a princess, Cherry... That's why I'm always gone, I have to be at the palace..."

Sakura was dumbfounded, "What? Why didn't you tell me?"

"It may change the way you look at me... You might start, uh, treating me differently... I just want to be normal, Cherry, and with you, I really can be." Ino smiled lightly and wrapped her arms around the other girl. She buried her face in Sakura's chest and said, "I love you, Sakura... You mean more to me than any man in the world could... Please, marry me."

Sakura stood still, trying to take in all the information, and finally agreed. It scared her though, she didn't know what would happen if they were to be caught. They would probably be put to death for fraud, but Sakura would rather that than lose her only friend to a man. Sakura turned the thought in her head over and over again. She didn't know how to feel about marrying Ino, and in a way she felt guilty for liking the idea because she wasn't sure if the love Ino expressed was sisterly, or that felt by a lover.

Ino pulled away, "We have to get ready tonight, I brought you some clothes to change into, and scissors to cut your hair... I don't want to cut it, but Cherry, it's the only way we can even try to fool anyone..."

Sakura nodded, "I'm ready to do whatever it takes..." The girl's heart was racing, and she couldn't think straight, it was all happening way too fast. Sakura looked at the ground, "I don't want to lose you, Ino..."

Ino nodded, "I know... I know..."

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><p>Thanks for the reviews!<p> 


	7. Chapter 6

_The Imposing Semblance_

-A story loosely based on Cinderella-

Takes place in a "fairy tale" setting

Warnings: It is a girl-girl fanfiction between Sakura and Ino, and a little bit of Sakura and Itachi

Mature Content (violence, language, and sexual imagery)

I don't have a peer-edit, so there may be lots of typos, and my grammar sucks. I apologize. This is just for fun, so I don't feel like putting in any extra effort, ya'know?

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Naruto

**Chapter 6**

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><p>All Sakura saw were flashes of colors, the room was a vast sea of color, and Ino was nowhere in sight. Sakura's head spun, and her eyes watered slightly as she pushed her way through the crowd, hopelessly looking for the princess, just as many of the men attending the ball were. She had to stay calm, Ino told her to stay calm, and she had to if she wanted to fool anyone. <em>I am Sir Charles of Ellis Point, I own a big chunk of land, and I am here to broaden my very small kingdom. I have no quarrels with other lands, I... I... What else did Ino say? <em>Sakura finally saw her princess, dancing with a man. Ino looked disgusted as the, well, Sakura assumed, princess twirled her around the room. When Ino finally met Sakura's gaze, her blue eyes lit up, and Ino whispered something into the boy's ear.

Almost as quickly as Sakura had spotted her princess, she was already gone, the boy who had been twirling her was now alone, and had a look a mixture of angry and worry upon his face. Sakura felt immediately frustrated, but it vanished when she felt Ino's hand run against her thigh, "Sorry sir."

"Do not be sorry, Princess, a princess has no right feeling sorry," Sakura smiled, and Ino beckoned her to follow. "Shouldn't you be dancing with that nice fellow? You gave him false hope, dear Princess."

"I gave no one false hope, I already told every man that has tried to court me tonight, that my eyes have found another. I told them, that when I find him again, I will not lose sight this time. I will not let him out of my grasp. You shall be mine, Sir Charles of Ellis Point, and you cannot argue with a Princess." Ino walked swiftly through the crowd.

Sakura had to concentrate to keep up, "And argue, I shall not, I am yours, and you... Dear..." Sakura gulped, "And you dear, dear Princess, shall be mine."

"Correct, Sir Charles, we will own each other, no one can take that away. We will be one, we will stand as one, sit as one, and think as one. We operate together, as one working whole, and I will have it no other way." Ino darted through an archway, and outside. She stood on a balcony, a deserted place for the time being.

"Princess, people will start to wonder where you are..."

"And I will tell them I am with the man I've chosen to marry, but first, you have to woo me."

"Ino... I don't know how..."

"Remember, Cherry, you don't have to say anything of importance to me, but when my mother and father see us together, you have to look confident, and strong. I don't care if jibberish comes out of your mouth, as long as you look like a proud man and not a scared little girl."

Sakura nodded and looked back through the archway, two men were approaching, probably to try and woo the princess no that she was almost alone. Sakura then realized the two men were her step-brothers. She whispered into Ino's ear, "Those are my brothers."

Ino smiled widely at the comment. She laughed and said loudly, "Oh, Sir Charles! You are quite the catch, please, you will have to show me this carriage you speak of. I am rather found of horses. Oh! You just have to take me for a ride."

Sasuke nudged Itachi, as the stood a good distance away from the princess, he whispered, "It is the princess, but who is that man? He looks familiar... But... He sounds too rich..."

Itachi huffed, "Be quiet, he's probably lying to impress the princess, after all, how does one impress someone who already has everything? We probably are richer than this man, and I am definitely better looking."

Sasuke squinted a little, and sighed, "I can't tell, but he looks so familiar."

"Shut your trap, Sasuke, he looks nothing like any man I know of, he has a girlish frame, and a girlish face, I think I would remember a man of such stature. Anyway, stay back, I don't want you interfering." Itachi pushed Sasuke aside and approached Ino.

Sakura held her ground, and tried not to look toward the ground. She was terrified Itachi would recognized her, but he paid her no attention, and grabbed Ino's hand, he was about to speak, but the princess' tongue was faster than his own.

"Sir, it is very rude to interrupt a conversation, especially a princess', and I know you want a shot to court me, but I will tell you, as I have told most men at this ball, my eyes have found another. He is mine, and I will not let him go, and he shall not be replaced by a man such as yourself... You reek of greed and cruelty, I only accept compassion. I call tell just by looking in your eyes, you are an arrogant man. You have no love, and love me, you shall not." Ino pulled her hand away and grabbed Sakura's, "Now, if you will excuse us, Sir Charles was just asking me to dance."

Itachi did not even utter a word, he was too shocked, and felt too rejected. He just stared long and hard at Sakura before she swept back into the crowd to twirl her princess. He knew he had seen this man before, he knew now, but where? This man should be easy to identify, given his girlish features, but Itachi could not put his finger on it... Then it hit him.


	8. Chapter 7

_The Imposing Semblance_

-A story loosely based on Cinderella-

Takes place in a "fairy tale" setting

Warnings: It is a girl-girl fanfiction between Sakura and Ino, and a little bit of Sakura and Itachi

Mature Content (violence, language, and sexual imagery)

I don't have a peer-edit, so there may be lots of typos, and my grammar sucks. I apologize. This is just for fun, so I don't feel like putting in any extra effort, ya'know?

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Naruto

**Chapter 7**

* * *

><p>Itachi had to be tactful, if he told the princess that he knew, and she felt threatened, he could be executed in a matter of seconds. He had to remember that she had more power than himself, and if he were to win this battle, he had to be witty about it. Itachi approached Sasuke calmly, "I found her."<p>

"Sakura? Where is she? Here?" Sasuke looked frantically about, "Where?"

"She is the one courting the princess, she disguised herself as a man... Surely the princess has to know. No fool would do that on their own, the second they were married, she'd be executed for fraud... The princess has to be helping her." Itachi smiled lightly, "We have to get Cherry alone. I want you to do that."

Sasuke nodded, "And then we take her home?"

"No, we use her to get what we want from the princess. I get the throne, and you... Well, you can have whatever you want."

"I want to marry Sakura."

Itachi wasn't surprised, but it made him want to snap, he still viewed Cherry as his. He kept his calm and agreed, "And you will marry Sakura, but we have to get her alone. You have to keep her away long enough for me convince the princess that if she ever wants to see Cherry again that she has to marry me."

"Where do I take her?"

"Outside, I don't know, keep her away... This means you have to use force on her, you cannot let her escape. And you cannot bring her back until I am king." Itachi pushed Sasuke into the crowd, "Don't fail me little brother."

Sasuke anxiously searched for Sakura. He felt nauseous, the people spinning around him made him dizzy, but when Sakura came into sight, he had forgotten her disguise. He had to remind himself, that it was Sakura, he was looking for Sir Charles, not Cherry. He quickly worked his way through the crowd and almost skillfully pulled Sakura away from her dance.

Sakura's eyes became wide, and she knew that Sasuke knew. She was silent as the man pulled her through the crowd. She looked back, and saw Ino dumbfounded, not sure where her Sir Charles had disappeared to. "Sasuke!"

"So, it is you... We have to get out of here, I have to talk to you."

"It's not a good time."

"After tonight, if I let you marry a girl, the princess, then never will be a good time to talk! Sakura, erm, I mean Charles," Sasuke looked around, no one in the crowd paid any attention, "you are making a huge mistake... Itachi knows..."

"No..." Sakura was pulled outside, but they did not stop there, Sasuke pulled her further and further away from the castle. "He knows? Was it what Ino said?"

"The princess? I don't know, he's the one who told me." Sasuke sighed, "If you go back in there, Itachi is going to tell everyone the truth, the only way you're ever going to see the princess again is if you stay with me... Sakura, you have to marry me. If you marry the princess, you cannot not give her any children. The kingdom will wonder, and you look so girlish... I don't think you two can fool anyone for long."

"I don't want to marry you, Sasuke! I don't want to marry anyone except Ino." Sakura yanked away from Sasuke's grasp, "I love Ino, Ino is the only person I have ever loved, and you are going to take her away from me?"

Sasuke whipped back around, and without thinking, slapped her across the face, "You are being foolish! Sakura," he then realized what he had done, "Shit, Sakura, I didn't mean to... I'm just..." He saw the broken girl return, the one he asked to marry him that night when she defied Itachi. "Sakura, no, please, I don't want to hurt you..." He touched her cheek, and she flinched, "Please believe me, I'm just so frustrated, you've... You've gone crazy! You've been missing, and I've been worried... To find you here... Dressed as a man... It's hard for me."

Sakura looked up at Sasuke and spat, "You're just as bad as Itachi. Neither of you truly care about what I want, it's all what you want. He wants me because it makes him feel in control, you want me because he never let you touch me. It's not that you love me, it's not that you care about me, it's because I'm this toy. I'm the toy that you two have fought over all this time, and you've never had a turn, well," Sakura smacked Sasuke's hand away from her face, "you will never have a turn!"

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><p>Itachi smiled lightly at the dumbfound Ino, "You didn't let me speak, and now, you're beloved Sir Charles... Or should I say, Sakura, Cherry, boy, she does have a lot of names, doesn't she? Anyway, she is gone, and you will never see her again..." Ino looked defeated, and Itachi continued, "I do have one proposal though, dear Princess, and that is marry me, and I will give you Cherry. She will be married off, of course, I have found her a husband, but you are the princess, and I will let you keep her. No one can argue with a princess, right?"<p>

"Then do not argue me when I say I will have you executed if you do not return her to me at once," Ino was furious. Her eyes were no longer calm, they were filled with anger, and hate.

"What a shame, I have orders on her part, that she only be returned when we are married. If I die, that cannot very well happen, can it? If I die, she will be killed as well." Itachi was lying, but he knew if Ino cared enough about Cherry, she could not call his bluff.

Ino exhaled, "How do I know that I can trust you? How do I know you will give her back?"

"That's a gamble I guess you have to be willing to make, but my dear Princess, I do not want to upset you anymore than I already have. I swear, Cherry will be back shortly after we are married, and only after we are married."


	9. Chapter 8

_The Imposing Semblance_

**Chapter 8**

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><p>Sasuke pleaded, "Sakura, I promise, I'll take care of you."<p>

"Ino takes care of me, Ino actually cares," Sakura shook her head, "and you're letting Itachi manipulate her too? You're letting him blackmail her? Who do you really care about, Sasuke?"

"Listen to me, Sakura, Itachi is capable of a lot of things, but leading a kingdom... He's going to fail, or he's going to be hated... Let him have his throne, it will be short-lived... Let him give the princess heirs, and then you can come back with your silly disguise and children won't matter anymore... But, in the mean time... Please, let me take care of you."

"Now who's acting crazy? You'd really let Itachi rule? Even if it was short-lived, what is short lived? A year, or two? Maybe 3, or maybe even more? And all that while Ino suffers. It will not be short-lived to her, it will be one long nightmare that you can't wake up from. I know, Sasuke, because I've been there. He'll treat her like an object too, he will ruin this kingdom... You don't understand who you should be stopping right now, it should be Itachi you're dragging away from the castle, not me." Sakura was now pleading, "Let me go back, let Sakura marry me, and get Itachi out of here... I don't know how to stop him from telling, but we can bargain... We'll give him a big chunk of wealth, a big plot of land, I don't know! Just convince him to stand back, and if I'm back in there, his blackmailing becomes invalid... If he does tell, he will not become wealthy, he may get a reward, but not anything like I'm offering. Just, convince him, Sasuke, please... If you really care..."

Sasuke rubbed his temples and groaned, "Sakura, it'll just be easier-"

"To do the wrong thing? Of course that's easier! I let you guys treat me like dirt... Do you think it was easy running away? Or standing up to Itachi? Do you think it was easy? No. Sasuke, sometimes you have to do what is right..."

"And letting you marry a woman is right? No one is right here, Sakura... No matter how this goes down, it won't be _right_, and you know that. You're asking me to pick a side, not to do the right thing... And what do I get? Itachi has promised me you, and that's all I want. So, Sakura, how are you going to top that?"

"How are you going to tolerate a wife who doesn't even want to see your face?" Sakura spat at the ground next to his feet, "How are you going to tolerate the woman you love, loathing you? I will never love you Sasuke, and I will never be alright married to you. I will fight you, I will run away, and how is that getting what you want? Face it, you will never have me, truly. I will never be yours, and you can't do anything about it. So you can help me, the woman you supposedly care about, or you can help your wretched brother! It's your choice, but either way, I'm going back into the palace." Sakura turned and started for the ballroom again.

Sasuke thought for a second, "Fine, Sakura, but if we all get executed... I guess... Well, I guess there's nothing really... You'd prefer death over Itachi's rein?"

"Yes, a million times, yes."

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><p>Ino was about to give in when she saw Sakura swimming through the crowd. She had to think quick. "Excuse me Itachi, I am going to announce to my father that I have chosen who I wish to marry," Ino looked sad, but when she left Itachi's presence she hurried to Sakura.<p>

Itachi was satisfied, thinking he had won. He went to have a drink, and tell his own father. Not paying any attention to where Ino had really gone.

"Sir Charles, I was worried, where had you gone?"

Sasuke whispered, "You better be quick, I can't let Itachi know I let you back in..."

Ino glared at the boy for a second and dragged Sakura into the other room. "I am going to have him executed, both of them, they know too much... And your step-father, we better rid ourselves of all of them."

"I promised Sasuke on the way back, he would not be harmed... Execute Itachi, execute my step-father, but leave Sasuke alone." Sakura begged, "Ino, he is harmless, and a pushover, and... I figure... He is the only one I can trust to give you a baby and he would not ever reveal our secret... Trust me."

Ino was reluctant, but she nodded, "We have to be quick, I have to find a guard, you have to stay out of sight." Then Ino changed her mind, "No, I have to talk to my father... Cherry, still stay out of sight, do not let Itachi see you... But please be listening... I am going to make my wedding announcement..."

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><p>Ino stood on a platform with her parents, above all the people, and stared out into the sea of people. Ino smiled as her father spoke, "My daughter has announce that she has picked a husband. She assures me he is a fine fit to rule our kingdom... Please, come up here, and with your proud father, Itachi Uchiha." Itachi's path was cleared, when the crowd was aware he was the chosen one. Both Itachi and Fugaku walked up to the platform, kneeled at the Kings feet and waited for his blessing. "Guards, seize both of them, my daughter tells me they have both slandered her name in attempt to get the throne, and I will not have either one of them ruining my daughter's ball."<p>

The crowd was shocked, and the two men were dragged away, both of their mouths running, claiming to be innocent. The king silenced them and continued, "Now, for the heir of the throne, Sir Charles of Ellis Point!"


	10. Chapter 9

_The Imposing Semblance_

**Chapter 9**

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><p>Sakura had been listening, but she was frightened to go up in front of the crowd. She knew the kingdom would wonder why the princess had picked such a scrawny man. She had to be convincing, had to show that there was a reason she had been picked. She straightened up, swallowed hard, and walked through the crowd, which did not clear as it had for Itachi. She whispered "excuse me's" and "pardon me's", but over half of them were unheard. As she presented herself to the King and Queen, she did as Itachi and her step-father had, and kneeled. The king smiled gently, "Sir Charles, you are now family, there is no need to kneel." Sakura nodded and rose again, the King seemed unphased by her appearance and hugged her. She was passed off to be hugged by the queen, and then stood next to Ino who grabbed Sakura's hand and whispered something comforting into her ear.<p>

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><p>Ino insisted that the wedding be held as soon as possible. She also insisted that she be the one to help with all of Sir Charles measurements and fittings. She explained that Sir Charles came from a small town, one in which most things are done by those close to you. She was sure her husband-to-be would be much more comfortable if Ino were the one to physically touch him.<p>

The kingdom did whisper, of course, it wouldn't have mattered who had been picked. There is always talk, but even more so for this scrawny king-to-be, "Is he sickly?", "Did he stop growing?", "He is almost shorter than the princess.", "Where did he say he was from? Hmm, never heard of it." was only a small variety of what people said. They also talked of the two men who had been arrested that night, and wondered what it was they had done to upset the princess so much. They were sure the two were already executed, and the reasoning didn't much matter now. It was just out of character, the kingdom did not perform very many executions, so surely, they must of been way out of line. Something in the air smelled funny, and the whole kingdom had a big whiff of it.

* * *

><p>Ino became impatient, weeks were passing, and the wedding was still not held. She grew irritable, and the royal servants all could see it. Something was surely bothering the princess, and they had a feeling it was more than her wedding plans falling apart. Sir Charles did not seem appropriate to become heir. The King and Queen seemed not to notice, or chose to ignore it; either way it bothered other authorities. The kingdom was purposely upholding the wedding, they were trying hard to get it called off. The King and Queen must surely feel that this Sir Charles is not at all an heir, just a scrawny kid who happened to own a tiny bit of land somewhere no one has ever heard of. If the Queen had not given birth to three stillborn boys before they had Ino, none of this would be a problem. No one would care who the princess married, because a blood heir would be present.<p>

Ino knew they were suspicious, why wouldn't they be? She was starting to realize how impossible her plan was to uphold. She had to marry someone else, or she wouldn't be able to save Sakura. Sakura would surely be executed, and how could Ino live with a guilt like that? How the hell was she suppose to pull this of? If she were to even convince anyone, Sakura would have to be a fantastic King, and Ino would have to have a child quickly. Ino often wished her parents had bore a son, or that some close relative was close enough to take over the thrown, but wishing wasn't going to get her out of this sticky situation.

* * *

><p>"Don't forget, the walls have ears, dear!" Ino snapped angerly, "You're so dense sometimes, you never know who's listening, <em>Charles<em>_, _when you are king, you can never slip up. Everyone is your enemy, you have no friends when you are royalty." Ino knocked over a vase in frustration and paced the large room. The vase had broken, but neither of the girls seemed to notice.

They were in a dressing room, of the sort, it was were she and Sakura did most of their measurements and wedding planning. Often they kicked out all the servants and guards, and refused any company, but Ino couldn't be sure that they were ever alone.

Sakura looked down, swallowing tears, she couldn't cry. If she did, Ino would only yell more, and she didn't want to upset her love, "I'm sorry." Sakura cleared her throat, looked Ino in the eyes and repeated, "I'm sorry."

"It's not enough to be sorry! You have to act like you know what you're doing! No excuses!" Ino felt the pressure coming down on her head, and it was pushing her feet through the marble flooring. She was cracking the floor, and that crack darted across the room and up the walls, and unto the ceiling where it all began to crumble around them. She fell down, broken, "It's not enough, it's not working..." Ino closed her eyes, and hugged her knees in a fetal position.

Sakura stared at the broken Ino, horrified, and stunned. She had no idea what to do, and now that she thought of it, Sakura didn't ever know what to do. She was always told what to do... Then it hit her, "Ino, you have to marry a man. It's the only way... I'll- I'll-" she started to hyperventilate, "m-marr-marry Sa-Sas-Sasuke." Ino looked up from her broken state on the floor and quickly flew into Sakura's arms.

"Shhh, shhh, no, no, no." She squeezed the pink-haired girl dressed like a man, "No, no, no. We'll figure it out, we'll get it right... We don't want to do that, you and I both know we don't want to do that."

"But, I can't do anything! I don't know anything, you said it yourself, Ino, I'm _dense_."

"Oh, Cherry, no..." Ino ran her fingers through Sakura's short boyish hair, and the thought of what she had done to her beautiful cherry blossom made her angry. She gripped Sakura's hair, and whispered, "This would be hard for anyone." The princess stood back, placing her hands on Sakura's shoulders and continued to whisper, "You are being so brave, you are amazing."

"No, I'm not. I'm a coward... If I were brave, I would have run away by myself a long time ago, I wouldn't have waited for someone else to pick me up and take care of me! I would have taken care of myself, Ino. I would have run away the second Itachi put his filthy hands on me. The second my mother died... I would have run! And you know what? I use to talk to my mother all the time, even after she died, because she was the only thing I had... And ever since you came around, I stopped doing that as often. I don't need her, I need you now, but you know what I wish? I wish I didn't need anyone!" Sakura pulled away from Ino, "You can tell the kingdom whatever you want, but I will not be your puppet anymore. I don't want to need you, because you don't need me, you only need me to cover up the fact _you're _not ready to rule a kingdom. Well, Ino, it's not fair to make _me _run it!"


	11. Chapter 10

_The Imposing Semblance_

**Chapter 10**

* * *

><p>"No, I'm not. I'm a coward... If I were brave, I would have run away by myself a long time ago, I wouldn't have waited for someone else to pick me up and take care of me! I would have taken care of myself, Ino. I would have run away the second Itachi put his filthy hands on me. The second my mother died... I would have run! And you know what? I use to talk to my mother all the time, even after she died, because she was the only thing I had... And ever since you came around, I stopped doing that as often. I don't need her, I need you now, but you know what I wish? I wish I didn't need anyone!" Sakura pulled away from Ino, "You can tell the kingdom whatever you want, but I will not be your puppet anymore. I don't want to need you, because you don't need me, you only need me to cover up the fact <em>you're <em>not ready to rule a kingdom. Well, Ino, it's not fair to make _me _run it!"

"You're right," Ino looked away, "I don't know how to fix this, but, I promise, you won't have to see me ever again. I'll give you a big sum of money for your troubles, and I'll hire a carriage that will take you anywhere you wish. You'll have enough money to buy property, and never have to work a day in your life." Ino looked Sakura square in the eye and asked, "Will that satisfy you? We are both fools, and together we will always be foolish, but I will not compromise your life anymore." She didn't wait for a reply, she just walked past Sakura, stopped in the doorway, and said sternly, with her back turned to the disguised girl, "I will send a servant with the money and he will escort you to the carriage tonight."

"But-" Ino was already gone. Sakura took in a deep breath. Now what? Where would she go? How would she ever get Ino out of her mind? Living on her money? How could she? Sakura stiffly walked out into the hall, she hoped to see a glimpse of Ino, but she was gone. Gone. Was that it? How loose these threads were, and how could Sakura even begin to tighten them? She could try her best to pull Ino close to her again, but that was near impossible now. She had no way of finding the princess, and she would look a fool if she asked around for her.

Sakura realized, just then, she had been crying. Wiping her tears away, she caught the eye of a guard, and panicked. As if the whole situation wasn't already suspicious, how long had the guard been outside of the room they were just in? Had he heard anything? She didn't want to find out, so Sakura did the only thing she felt she could, and left the kingdom. She worried the guard would follow, but he hadn't, and when she reached the village, Sakura sought out her only option.

Sasuke.

* * *

><p>"Will you run with me?"<p>

"We barely have any money," Sasuke retorted, "Father was never good at keeping much around, and I don't have any."

"What about Itachi?" Sakura started for his room, "I bet he has something hidden, somewhere. Itachi had a job, but we never saw him spend any of it, it must be here."

"Perhaps, but, Sakura... He did spend money... He spent it on whores."

Sakura stopped, right where she was, midstep, and wheeled around. Her face was already full of tears, "And he still needed to fuck me?"

"He... Had plans for you, Sakura... He, he, wanted to marry you. I think. You were the perfect little house wife to him. He always complained bout how you were a lousy lay, but he'd do with what he had. Besides, who else was going to marry the prick?"

"I would have said no!"

"And he would have made you, Sakura, I was trying to save you, and now you want me to, and there's not a whole lot I can do." Sasuke walked up to her slowly, touched her fingers with his, and when Sakura took his whole hand, he took her whole body into his. They stood there, for minutes, maybe, in each others arms. Not speaking, Sakura just softly crying, and Sasuke gripping the on hand that Sakura still held. The embrace was compromised because of their hands, it stood out, tweaked to the side, neither of them wanting to let it go. Saskue pushed Sakura's head into his chest with his free hand and ran his fingers through her hair, then down her back and back up through her hair again. Their bodies pressed together so tightly, Sakura forgot her figure, and only felt his. She didn't even mind the obvious manhood against her thigh. Even though, she felt it somewhat awkward, she knew he had been pining for her. Knew he wanted her, always, had wanted her.

Sakura stoped crying and took in a deep breath. She closed her eyes, and ran her free hand against Sasuke's thigh. Meanwhile, Sauske still ran his hand up and down her back. Sakura's hand stayed on his thigh for a couple moments, while Ino flashed through her head. Mentally, she shook Ino away, and clasped Sasuke's mandhood, through his clothing. It felt involuntary. She couldn't stop herself. She pulled her head from his chest, and peered up at him with those emerald eyes. She could tell he was eager for her to make the next move, but he waited patiently, their eyes locked. Sakura moved her face up to his, their lips so close they might as well been kissing, but they weren't.

Sakura squeezed gently squeezed his member, and kissed him hard. A combination that Sasuke couldn't resist. He kissed her back, and pulled her down the hallway. Before Sakura could think, she was naked in Sasuke's bed, and Ino continued to flash in her head. The male was so gentle with his touches, and so rough with his kisses, but Sakura had no right to complain. That had been the tone she set for him, and it would have been rude for her to ask him to stop. The way he touched her, though, was so loving. It reminded her of Ino. Sasuke made her feel, safe, made her feel cared for. Was this a vicious cycle she was in? Would she find comfort in Sasuke, then find a reason to run?

No, that was silly, she ran for Ino because she was truly in danger. With Sasuke, she was truly safe.

Safe? Truly? Did those words even belong together?

Soft moans escaped Sakura's mouth, and Sasuke fumbled a little, obviously nervous. He didn't want to hurt her, and he had never been with a woman before. The moans made him uneasy, and asked, "Are you alright?"

Sakura froze. He green eyes wandered off to the dresser in his room. Her mouth stayed open, ever so slightly, and she whispered, "I'm here. If I were alright, I'd be at the castle." She knew this wasn't the answer to his question, but she knew it was an answer he didn't want to hear.

He dismissed it, but his heart felt singed around the edges, "I meant-"

"No, it doesn't hurt..."


	12. Chapter 11

_The Imposing Semblance_

**Chapter 11**

* * *

><p>"No, it doesn't hurt..."<p>

"Good."

And, the two spent the rest of the day in bed. They did not make love again, and Sakura barely responded to Sasuke's touch. They were static, in a place where they were too uncomfortable to get up and dress. Too uncomfortable to speak to each other. Night fell, and they were still like that. It wasn't until Sasuke fell asleep that Sakura got up. She walked through the house. A tugging feeling pulled her into her old room, and down there she dressed in the only outfit she had left behind. Sakura did not want to put the royal clothing back on, and when she peered at herself in a small hand mirror, she sighed at the sight of her hair. She ran her fingers across her forehead, and sighed again.

She whispered into the mirror, "I'm sorry, Ino..." It was cold in the basement, and she left the room quicker than she had planned. The house was silent. Sakura didn't have to light any candles to know where she was going, but in Itachi's room she was going to need a candle. Fumbling a little bit for one in the kitchen, she finally found one and lit it up. Sakura entered Itachi's room and immediately started to search for any amount of money. She looked through drawers, under the bed, and couldn't find anything. Frustrated, she cursed Itachi, he still deserved it in her eyes. Even if death, he was no use to her, just an annoyance.

While she sat there on the floor, wondering what to do next, she glanced at the bookshelf. And, yes she had already searched the shelf itself, but the books... Sakura jumped up, grabbed a random book and opened it. She held the book by the cover and shook the pages, hoping maybe a few gold coins may fall out. She repeated this action with a few other books, until she came across a book that actually was not a book. It was a box, rather, disguised a book. Sakura took in a deep breath, and slowly lifted the edge. She had her doubts, but she also had her hopes, as she closed her eyes just as the fake book opened. Sakura held her breath for a couple of minutes, but before she could focus on what was in the box, she heard Ino's voice coming from Itachi's window. When she looked up, no one was there.

Sakura's heart broke more at the sight that Ino had not been in the window, than when she looked down to find that the box had nothing that interested her. She tossed the box onto the bed, and rushed outside. "Ino," she called into the dark, "is that you?"

"You are a fool!" She whispered sharply into Sakura's ear, "Of course it's me, now keep your voice down."

Sakura spun around and hugged the blond princess tightly, "I'm so glad it's you."

Ino petted Sakura softly, "I know, Cherry, I know." She gave Sakura a light kiss on her lips and smiled, "When you had fled, I knew what I had to do... We have to run, both you and me, we can go anywhere. I don't see why I had to send you away, especially when I've been sneaking out of the castle for years. It's perfect, there will be no one to tell us how to live our life, or tell us how we are to love."

"You and me?" Sakura's eyes lit up, "We can run away together. We don't have to stay here!"

"Right now, if you're ready."

Sakura nodded, "Let's go."

"You don't need anything from in there?"

"No, I especially don't need anything from in there."

* * *

><p>Sasuke wasn't surprised when he found his bed empty, he wasn't surprised when he found Itachi's room rummaged through, and he wasn't surprised when he found that Sakura was completely gone. He did feel the rest of his heart burn up inside his chest, but he had been prepared for it. He sat at the kitchen table, where Sakura must of left the candle before she ran out of the house, because he hadn't put it there. He touched the candle lightly, wondering if she even thought of how'd he feel this morning. And, he knew the answer, but he wanted to believe he had some place in her heart. Some place where they really do live happily ever after...<p>

* * *

><p>Sakura snuggled up to Ino, the carriage ride was bumpy, but neither of them seemed to notice.<p>

Ino asked as calmly as she could, "What did you promise Sasuke, this time?"

"I don't know if promise is the right word... But, I led him to believe I would spend the rest of my life with him... Does that really matter now? I'm with you Ino, and we'll live happily, plus, Sasuke is a smart attractive man, when he finally realizes his options, he'll forget all about me..."

"He'll never forget, Cherry, just like I realized I'd never forget you, and I never want to." She squeezed her, "I never have to now." Ino had a thought, "We need new names for this new town. We'll start clean, we'll say we're sisters or best friends, or both, no one will question why we're so close. They may question why we don't want to marry, but it shouldn't be too much of a problem. It's a big town, we'll easily get lost in it, and it's perfect."

"New names... Sisters..." Sakura smiled lightly, "Let's name each other."


	13. Chapter 12

_The Imposing Semblance_

**Chapter 12**

* * *

><p>The carriage rarely stopped, and when it did it was to eat. A couple of times Ino bought things they could eat along the way. She paid the driver a small fortune to drive day and night, without sleeping for at least a few days. She promised him more money not to return to the kingdom. She wanted no way to be traced. The sooner they got into the new town, the better. Hopefully their head start had been big enough to get lost.<p>

The girls were both very hopeful. Sakura worried a little bit about Sasuke, but prayed that he cared enough to let her go. He was probably their biggest problem, and Ino knew it. She shrugged it off though, because she didn't want to upset Sakura. Ino was very curious as to exactly what had happened between the two in that single day Sakura went back home, and she thought about asking multiple times, but refrained. She figured Sakura already felt bad, and would talk about it when she were ready to. The last thing their relationship needed was tension.

For 2 days straight they drove, and Ino finally let the driver rest. They stopped in a small town, early morning, checked into an inn, and the driver slept while Sakura and Ino took an adventure. Arm in arm (since it was less suspicious than hand in hand), the two girls walked through town. Sakura smiled, "I think I know what I'd like to call you." Ino nodded, telling the girl to proceed, "Dawn. You are the rising sun in my life, the reason I have light, when I see you, I know a full day is ahead."

"You put a lot more thought into my name, I picked Clarice for you... I just like the sound of it, and I'm so use to calling you Cherry, it seemed to fit." Ino squeezed her arm, "I'll miss calling you Cherry, but I have a feeling if I keep at it, we'll get caught."

"You have a good instinct," Sakura whispered, and looked down, "Itachi use to call me Cherry."

Ino felt bad, and instantly asked, "Clarice! Why didn't you tell me?"

As Ino hugged the girl lightly, Sakura explained, "Because it's the name I introduced myself with, it was the only other name I felt I could pull of."

"I'm sorry, I would have dropped it if I would have known."

"I know, but I loved when it came from your mouth... Dawn." Sakura added the new name, just trying to get into the habit. It came out slightly awkward, and unsure, but that had been expected.

"Okay, well, then, I'll forgive you." Ino smiled, and nudged the other girl playfully, "This time."

"How much longer do we have to ride, anyway?"

"About 3 and half more days, not counting our rest day today. I picked a place far away, right on the ocean. If we catch drift that someone is coming for us, I hope we'll have time to jump on a ship and sail away." Ino kissed Sakura's forehead, "I want us to be as safe as possible, Clarice."

"Me too."

"I'm sorry I put us in so much danger, I know this isn't an ideal setting-"

"No, it's perfect, it's more perfect than you know." She smiled, "Perfect, like my beautiful Dawn."

Ino blushed lightly, "Breakfast? Here?" She motioned toward a quaint eatery.

"Again, perfect," Sakura squeezed Ino's arm this time, "absolutely perfect."

* * *

><p>When they arrived into their new town, Sakura was amazed at just how big it was. Ino seemed to know exactly where she was going when they got out of the carriage.<p>

"Have you been here before?"

"No, never, I just want to get a feel for what it's like... We also need to find a house, ideally a beat up one so it doesn't look too suspicious when we buy it." Ino put her hand in Sakura's and continued, "We'll hire someone to fix it up, but we'll act like we're just getting started, ask for help finding a job. Maybe trade labors. I don't want us to be too much of a red flag. The town is big, so we shouldn't have to worry, but I'd rather be safer than sorry. We're taking a big risk... I am the only heir, remember?"

Sakura nodded, this information hit her hard, she forgot that this wasn't going to be easy. She forgot how much of risk running away with Ino was, but again, it felt like less a risk away from the kingdom than being in it. How dull and boring her life had been, until recently. She had never imagined this would happen to her, this was something you read in a book, something unfeasible. It made her wonder what other things desperate people did, how far will someone, can someone, go? How big of a risk is really worth the risk?

* * *

><p>It seemed like only days since they had arrived, but actually Sakura and Ino had been in the new town for almost a month. Everything was smooth sailing, no hiccups whatsoever, and from their interactions with the citizens, they were no more suspicious than that of a cat taking a nap on someone's roof. The girls were cheery, giggly, and playful, they had never been so happy in their lives.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Author's note:<br>I'd like to thank everyone's who's read this, and I'm terribly sorry it's sloppy. No- we're not finished yet, I still have a couple more chapters.  
>The ending is where I get stumped. I have about 5 different endings in mind and none of them seem to fit quite right. <em>

_If any of you have any suggestions at all- please, tell me. I'm not opposed to borrowing ideas, although, I will probably add my own twist. _

_Thank you again, I appreciate all the hits and reviews! _

_-Nara Katie_


	14. Chapter 13

_The Imposing Semblance_

**Chapter 13**

* * *

><p>Happy. Had they really achieved happiness? They liked to think that they had. Even though Sakura literally led her stepfather and brother to death, and broke Sasuke's heart, she considered herself happy. Guilt was a character that visited her a little more often than she would like, but she pushed him aside, and remembered all the pain caused to her, and somehow justified her actions. And, Ino, having abandoned a kingdom in need, felt that being the cost for freedom was more than worth it. Guilt did not cross this princess' head, but Sakura's encounter with Sasuke danced with possibilities. How long could she wait for Sakura to tell her what really happened?<p>

The Princess was not use to sharing her possessions, and had even more difficulties waiting for an answer. She felt obligated to Sakura's full trust. It was brooding inside her, waiting for the perfect moment to attack, almost an intangible force Ino felt little control over. Her little Cherry blossom was already battered, and by no means had the energy to fight back. Ino understood her power, and it took everything in her power to hold it back.

Sakura wanted to share everything with Ino, but she was afraid of judgment. Sakura had rarely gone a day without being told that she was lesser than a person. She felt like she was an object, and only did as she was instructed to do. It took more power than she believed she had to express herself. It became easier every day for the girl with emerald eyes to show how she felt, but when would she be able to truly show the princess that she was _in love _with her?

Now that Ino had everything she wanted, how could she be sure that it was everything she wanted? She was use to having a conquest, something to call hers, but so many possessions had fallen through her fingers, she held them all loosely in her hands, like sand. Sakura was an accomplishment that she had come back for, something she dropped and picked back up. Sakura meant something to her, perhaps the only thing that had meant something to her, but Sakura was a person, not a possession. It may be out of her control if she were to lose Sakura again. Ino wanted the assurance that the loyalty Sakura portrayed toward her was truly insured.

* * *

><p>Sasuke heard the rumors floating in the air. He snatched them up and paid close attention. If it could give him a lead on finding Sakura, he wouldn't think twice, he would just act. Something about his broken heart gave him the drive to not give up. He understood it was time to let Sakura go, but his heart wouldn't let him. The only thing holding that broken heart together, is the very thing that broke it.<p>

A search party had been formed, and at first, only authorized personal could be in it, but as the weeks passed and there had been no sign of the princess, and no leads, the party became open to the public, and Sasuke was the first to sign up.

The young man, having lost everything, had this one thing to cling to. This search party gave him hope, and he could feel that his hopes were set too high, but he had nothing else to lose. If he lost his hope, then he would know, there is nothing left to hope for.

On his first day, Sasuke was asked if he would like to be part of the traveling party, and he did not hesitate to say yes. He was positive that Sakura and the princess had fled, possibly further than he may be able to find them at, but this impossibility, he took a challenge. How much would he be willing to fight for Sakura's love? And when he finally would find her, would she realize how crazy she was to leave him wondering? Would she finally see how much she meant to him? Maybe it wasn't love, but it was the closest thing to love Sasuke felt he was capable of. He viewed his actions as romantic, although he was positive Sakura would not think so.

Sasuke's determination sparked another party member's interest. He was a castle guard, about average height with dark chocolate hair and hazel eyes. Sasuke had seen him day in and day out, but never learned his name until the guard approached him, "Calder." Sasuke shook his hand and replied, "Sasuke."

"Why are you so interested in finding the princess? Half the people here aren't half as mentally inclined as you are, Sasuke."

Sasuke stated, maybe, out of place, "You're a castle guard," and continued, "How am I to trust you if my reason is not satisfactory to the kingdom?"

Calder lowered his voice, "Trust me, my reason is not at all satisfactory to the kingdom."

"You tell me your reason first, and then I will tell you why I am _mentally inclined _to find the princess." Sasuke did not want to be executed for such a foolish reason, but most of all he did not want to put Sakura in danger for disguising herself as a man to marry the princess.

"It's silly," Calder smirked a little, he knew he was taking a risk, but he was sure he remembered seeing this man talking to Sir Charles at the ball, "I'm in love with the princess, and even though we can never be married if she were found, who says we can't if she were never found?"

"In love with the princess? Enough to try to find her first to _protect _her?" Calder nodded, and then gave Sasuke a look that said he was ready to hear the other male's reason. Sasuke hesitated for a brief second, "I too, am in love, but not with the princess. Rather, she has run away with the girl I love, I would even stoop to say, she has stolen my bride."

"A companion… You say bride? So, what of Sir Charles? Did he not flee with the princess? Is he not the last person seen with the princess? That is what the King and Queen told us guards. We are almost positive it was a kidnapping." It wasn't entirely true that Sir Charles was the last person seen with Princess Ino, but Calder had seen Sir Charles flee the kingdom, had actually witnessed a partial conversation between the two. He knew Sir Charles was a woman, but wondered how much Sasuke knew, and hoped that if he played it stupid, Sasuke would share information out of trust rather than out of interrogation.

* * *

><p>Sakura had found a job doing the dishes at a bar. It wasn't exactly ideal, but it was believable. Ino had troubles finding a job, her inexperience in common chores cost her this. It was one of the only skills she had not acquired from being a princess. She never had to wait on anyone, for she had always been waited on.<p>

The two girls slept in separate rooms, but every night, both were restless. They tossed and turned in their beds, and both wondered the same thing: Was it safe to let their love grow?

One night, Sakura became brave. She ventured out of her room and into Ino's. "Did I wake you, my beautiful Dawn?"

"No, I've been awake." Ino sat up in the dark, and Sakura crawled onto the bed and nuzzled lightly against Ino's neck. "Looks like you can't sleep either, Clarice." She ran her fingers through Sakura's short hair and pressed her lips against her forehead.

Sakura took the invitation upon her forehead, and kissed the other girl against her lips. They had kissed before, but neither of them had questioned the inappropriateness of it before. "Are you sure we should…"

They kissed again, and soon forgot whom it was that had started to ask questions. They kissed again, and wondered if they would kiss again. They kissed again, and forgot that their love was not acceptable to the outside world. Sakura wrapped her arms around Ino's neck, and kissed her more like a lover, and they forgot the world.

Ino wrapped her arms around Sakura's waist, and pressed her body into the other girl's. Their bodies seemed to fit perfectly together, and there was no question that this was their fate. They were meant to love one another. They were meant to be together, and with that understanding, the two girls spent the rest of the night making love.


	15. Chapter 14

_The Imposing Semblance_

**Chapter 14**

* * *

><p>Sasuke and Calder started talking more, and a trust started to form. Even though they were part of the search party, they felt like they were the only two really searching for something. The others were guards who were required to, and citizens who wanted to show their loyalty to the kingdom. It may have been a crisis, but it could have been worse. A bloodline may not be present, but that did not mean the kingdom was doomed. The King and Queen still had plenty of time left before they would be done actually ruling, and if worse came to worse, they would just hand the throne to a trusted advisor of the sort.<p>

"We've been traveling for days, and I haven't come across any leads, no villagers who have seen the princess." Sasuke sighed, "It's like they vanished."

"That's exactly what they are trying to do. Vanish. We have to think like them, if you were running away, where would you go?" Calder looked Sasuke in the eye and stated very plainly, "I would go as far away as I possibly could, and with as much money as the princess possesses, they could have gone _anywhere_."

"What about the carriage? They had to take a carriage." Sasuke was getting frustrated, because searching for people who didn't want to be found was like… Well, like finding a needle in a haystack. Near impossible.

"According to the kingdom, one carriage is missing, and the driver, he's missing too." Calder sighed, "We are looking for four people, correct? The princess, your fiancé, the carriage driver, and…" Calder had lingered on purpose, and Sasuke fell for the trap.

"And, who?" Sasuke realized his mistake as soon as he had asked.

"Sir Charles, of course." Calder smiled to himself, Sasuke did know that Sir Charles and his so-called-fiancé were the same person, which meant he had been correct the entire time, and that made Calder feel very clever.

"That's right, I forgot about him." Hopefully, Calder wouldn't take his mistake as anything of importance.

"I have an idea, I think we should abandon the search party and take our own adventure. I think we should travel as far as we can, until we reach the sea and then search all surrounding areas and work our way back home. It's an investment of time and money, but I think if you are as determined as I am, you will be more than willing to sacrifice that time and money. What do you say?" Calder raised an eyebrow toward Sasuke and waited for his response.

"I think it's a good idea, but you see, I don't have much money."

"Hmm, well, I'll help you out, I need a companion and I've already confessed my secrets to you." Calder smiled, "My real name is Shikamaru, I kept from you in case you decided to tattle, but now that I trust you fully, I have nothing to hid. Let's take a carriage tonight, but we'll avoid the royal carriages, I kind of want to vanish too."

"Sounds like a plan, and while we're confessing... Sir Charles is a woman, the woman I am looking for."

"Well, that's one less person to look for, and I appreciate that. It'll be much easier knowing who exactly I'm looking for now."

"You're not upset?"

"I had secrets too, there's no time to hold them against each other." Perfect, Shika had gained the trust he desired.

* * *

><p>Time was passing very quickly for the two girls, Ino had finally found a job, she did book keeping at an inn, and it seemed suitable. Ino was very smart, and especially money smart. She had to hold back a little bit, if she were to show that she was extremely talented, she may raise suspicion, and she didn't want anyone thinking she came from any sort of rich family. She pulled off the background of a well-off family, but she explained that her parents didn't know how to hold onto money, which is why she learned how to for them.<p>

She wondered how long they could keep acting. It was hard to go by a new name, make up a new past, for Sakura it was much easier. Her past was believable, she could tell people how she grew up, and her trying to find a new life was very believable. If Ino had thought a little harder, they should have said they were sisters, but then their varying levels of education would raise suspicion. Really, Ino was starting to realize, any lie could raise suspicion. It was just a matter of if anyone _really _cared. And with a whole kingdom looking for her, she wouldn't be surprised if word spread about the runaways in less than a year. They were very far away, but maybe going overseas was a more reasonable option... But with that came knowing another language, and Ino had neglected her lessons, neglected them to the point that her parents quit giving her them. She deeply regretted that rebellion now.

Ino didn't want to worry Sakura, so she kept her scheming to herself. Ino paid attention to the papers and the gossip, while Sakura neglected them in bliss. Ino preferred it that way. Sakura was quite happy, and Ino was happy to see this. Ino couldn't help be still be eaten away by the one day Sakura spent with Sasuke. She wanted to know, terribly, what exactly had happened, but she wanted Sakura to bring it up. She didn't want to appear jealous.

It had danced on Sakura's mind a little bit, but she still felt it did not matter, and also figured Ino would rather her not speak of the past in the new town, especially when it wasn't part of her new background. She had left out the sexual abuse, and the weird love triangle from her past when talking to villagers. She simply told them she was sick of being a maid for her family. She felt it not fair, and not very family-like at all.

* * *

><p>Shika and Sasuke talked the entire carriage ride, which had turned into a weeks of adventure. They were determined to reach the sea, Shika's plan was smart, if they were residing near the sea, they may be able to hold them off from jumping on a ship. If they were not residing next to the sea, they may be able to drive them toward home, and if not they could still try to chase them down. The two men knew it was very doubtful that they'd even find the girls they were looking for, but both of them had a drive that was unlike the rest of the kingdom. The only people who may be trying harder than them, would be the king and queen, but they were also busy running a kingdom, and could not personally hunt the princess down.<p>

The men were both surprised at how much they ended up liking each other, their past histories and knowledge made it easy for them to sympathize with each other. They both felt that they had lost parts of their souls to these women, and even though most other men would have judged them and said they were too soft, that thought did not cross their mind while talking to each other. It was a friendship that felt stronger than any childhood best friend either of them had. It was perfect, actually, since the two had teamed up, and would probably spend a lot of time together... Maybe even years tracking these girls down.


	16. Chapter 15

_The Imposing Semblance_

**Chapter 15**

* * *

><p><em>"I don't think you understand," she muttered to the man holding her down.<em>

_"You don't understand, we could have everything, even this lifestyle here, you can keep that, it'll just be more... private."_

_"I should've known this would happen, the years we spent flirting, did you really think that could lead anywhere?"_

_"Well, I'm here, aren't I?"_

Ino gasped as she awoke. Upright, wide-eyed, heavy breath. "Okay," she mumbled, "it was just a dream." Ino placed her hand over her heart and looked down to the sleeping girl beside her. _Good, I didn't wake her. _The blond gently climbed out of bed, and into the kitchen. She slid down, back against the wall, to the floor. Eyes closed, shallow breath. Ino hummed lightly as she held her forehead in her palm. Ino could feel the anxiety running in and out of her body. The dream haunted her, _"Well, I'm here, aren't I?" _

"No, he's not here... He couldn't... He'd have to follow, and that would be near impossible..." Ino opened her eyes, and the rooms were still dark. why she had expected anything different confused her. Ino felt her state of mind becoming untrustworthy. Will Sakura ever share what happened that day with Sasuke? And how long before she would snap at Sakura? How will they run away if danger truly approaches? What if they were followed? What if... What if... Near... _Near _impossible...

"If," Ino whispered into the dark, "what... if..." Ino couldn't get the questions out of her mind. She had escaped the kingdom, but she was now worried that her past would haunt her. Ino didn't know how to settle, how to turn the brain off, and she didn't know how to truly love Sakura. Ino felt guilt, and ignorance biting at her toes. Who was she to drag Sakura into this? Who was she to leave a kingdom she had been born into? But who were they to keep her there? Ino trapped herself in her own arms, and sighed softly... Her grip tightened with every draw of her breath, until she knew her nails were digging into her skin, and somehow, the pain was soothing.

"Dawn?"

Ino's eyes opened, and she let herself go, "Clarice..."

Sakura sat in front of Ino, put her hands on the princess' cheeks, and kissed her softly on the lips, "Tell me what's wrong?"

"I'm scared," Ino wrapped her arms around the other girl, "I have a bad feeling..."

"Should we leave?" Sakura put her arms around Ino in return, and played with the ends of the other girl's hair as her head rushed with thoughts she wasn't even sure existed.

"I'm not sure..."

"Well, if you have a bad feeling, I trust your instincts better than mine, and it wouldn't hurt to move..."

"But I'm afraid I won't feel better even if we move," Ino buried her face into Sakura's breasts, and whispered, "I'm afraid we've made a mistake."

"But it's not a mistake! We've been happy, haven't we? And even if someone found us, at least we've spent the time we have together... I know, and I know you know, that we'd love to spend forever together, but don't you think enjoying the present is better than worrying about the future?" Sakura rested her chin atop Ino's head and said softly, "I love you, and I love every moment with you." Sakura could feel Ino smiling against her chest, and this made Sakura smile too.

Ino raised her head, and Sakura moved accordingly. She stared at the pink haired girl and said sweetly, "I love every moment with you, too."

"You are beautiful," Sakura kissed her forehead, "And if you're worried or hurt, come to me, I want to help you." Sakura rubbed Ino's arms, "I don't want you to hurt yourself when you're worried."

_"I'm here, aren't I?"_

_"No, you're not... I don't believe it." Ino was paralyzed, despite her desperate silent plea to get away._

_"Believe it, Ino," he touched her shoulder, "did you really believe I'd let you leave that easily?"_

Ino kept having nightmares and panic attacks, but she was more careful about hiding them. She didn't want to worry her lover, because she was happy to see Sakura happy, and the pink-haired girl is too easily affected by Ino's emotional state. If only Sakura could understand that Ino just needed to let the emotions out slowly, Ino would feel more comfortable sharing all her fears... And her secrets... But Ino felt entitled, she wanted Sakura to share her secrets first. Ino's secrets were her's, and she would never give them up without a price. Even though Ino loved Sakura dearly, Ino could never truly trust the other girl. That is why her innocence, and naievity appealed so well to Ino. Sakura was perfect for her, yet, Ino stood too much in her own way to see it. Sakura did not know that Ino was suffering because of her "secret", because to Sakura, it was a courtesy. Sakura figured Ino didn't want to hear it, so she keep it locked away, not touching the memory... Destroying it, pretending it never even happened... But to Ino, it happened ever single day, and her guilt was eating her.

_"Shika..."_

_"Are you ready to admit it?"_

_"Admit what? That I still love you?"_

_"You said it once before," Shika smirked, "Remember? Our bodies wrapped up in each other? Breathing heavily, and quietly, you whispered it..." He approached Ino and put his lips to her ear, and whispered heavily, "I love you?"_

_"I said it more than once."_

_"So you do remember me..."_


	17. Chapter 16

_The Imposing Semblance_

**Chapter 16**

* * *

><p>Days passed, one by one, and Sakura became more active, while Ino started to retreat into a shell she didn't know she had. The tension become strong, and Sakura tried to work her way around it, but Ino insisted on being mad at her. Sakura had asked multiple times what was wrong, but each time, Ino's answer became less concerned with the two of them as a whole, and more concerned with Ino's insecurities.<p>

Spring danced happily around the two girls, and Sakura joined the dance, but Ino stayed back and watched. The pink haired girl went on smiling, and dancing, and making friends, and smiling, and working, and cleaning the house, and making the food, and smiling... Ino couldn't force her lips to form a smile half the time, and more often than not, Ino had her head down, staring at her feet, or the ground, wondering when Sakura was going to stop smiling at everything, and smile at her... Almost like clockwork, Sakura grabbed Ino's hand, "It's beautiful outside! Come to the fields with me?"

"The fields? Again? I don't understand-"

"You don't have to understand, you just have to be there... I see you sitting inside your head, but when you're out there with me, you let your thoughts wonder, and you sit, but at least you aren't dwelling on whatever it is you insist on dwelling on..."

"Dwelling? I'm not dwelling... I swear, it's like you try to guilt me into doing all these silly things with you. You climb trees, and run through the flowers... You aren't thinking of the things around you, you only think of yourself, and it bothers me."

"I'm sorry..." Sakura looked toward the window, "It's just so wonderful outside, and I was thinking of you... I wanted to make you smile, because you make me smile..."

"You think you want manipulate me... Well you can't!"

"I don't understand-" Sakura said, almost mimicking.

"You never understand! I don't know why, it's so simple-"

"Simple enough to understand that you think way too much!" Sakura's eyes stayed fixed at the window.

"You think way too much," Ino was offended now, she grabbed Sakura's shoulder and pulled her toward her, and away from the window, "You think just because you had a crappy childhood, doesn't mean mine wasn't crappy too!"

"You told me," Sakura said emptily, "I know that you had a hard time too..." Itachi crept into Sakura's brain, but she was frustrated because she had let it go, and Ino seemed to be trying to push something out of her... "Ino..."

"It's Dawn..."

"Right now, Ino, I have to talk to the woman I love, not the girl who took her place."

"You think you're so smart now? Just because you have a home and a place to play? I gave this to you! You should be grateful!"

"I am... But, remember... You offered me this, without you, and your argument becomes invalid. I am thankful, but you have been picking at me for the past few weeks, and I'm sorry if I still want to go outside when spring rolls around!" Sakura looked Ino in the eyes. It was obvious that Sakura was becoming her own person, and Ino felt like she was losing her possession.

"But, what if-"

"Someone finds us? Ino, I don't care about that anymore. You are destroying your own happiness."

"Am I?" Ino took in a deep breath, "No. You are ruining _our _happiness."

"How?"

"You do things without me, and act like you don't care if I _tag along_, tag along? Tag along? It's you plus me, but I don't want the plus, Clarice, I want us to be one, and we can't do that until you start being honest with me!"

"Honest? I've been nothing but honest!"

And in that moment, where Ino felt so betrayed, she could not help but finally slip, "Then why haven't you told me about Sasuke!"

Sakura's jaw dropped, "Sas-Sasuke? This is why you've been driving me crazy? Over Sasuke!" Sakura threw her hand over her eyes and pushed her eyes shut so tight she felt the tension ball up in the spot between her eyes and above her nose.

Ino panicked for a second, but took in a deep breath, "You never told me what happened..."

Sakura loosened her face, and looked straight at Ino, "You never asked."

"I..."

"How dare you," Sakura's heart was breaking, "How dare you blame me for something you had access to the entire time! This would be different, Ino, if you had asked, and I refused to share the information... I figured you never asked, you didn't want to hear. I kept it to myself for you! I love you, and I don't want to hurt you."

"I..." Ino shook her head, "I never asked because... Because I thought you'd share it with me on your own..."

"Fine, I'll share it with you, Ino." Sakura grabbed Ino's hand, and whispered, "I thought of you the entire time... Sasuke and I shared a bed, and he knew I wasn't there the whole time... He poured his heart and his seed to me, and I felt empty." Ino looked away, but Sakura grabbed her chin and stared her straight on, "I was curious to see if I wanted to make a life with Sasuke work, because it would have been easier, but I knew almost immediately. I knew the when Sasuke made love to me, that he did not respect me, like you do... Ino, I loved you the entire time, and you can't even talk to me."

"I..."

"You what?" Sakura softened her voice even more, "My love... Tell me why you've been hurting us this way... I trust you, and I want you to trust me..."

"I'm not honest..."

"What do you mean?"

Ino could budge. He conscience told her to be honest, but the secret could not surface. "I mean... I have secrets, and I don't tell the whole truth... I leave out parts of me, to be perfect for you..."

"You are perfect, whatever those secrets are, they led you here, and we're already wanted... Whatever it is, I'm sure I can handle it..."

Ino started crying, "It's like you are trying to torture me! Torture me with loyalty! I had servants, and admirers, everyone wants to be you, and would give up everything for me... But don't expect anything... What's the catch?"

"There is no catch, you saw the perfect in me... At least I thought you did... You treated me like a person, and I wanted to return the favor..."

"Return the favor?" Ino said angrily, "You weren't a charity case!"

"I know, why can't you see that I appreciate you for appreciating me... I don't love you because you have money, or that you could take me away from all the problems, I love you because you love me... It's equal, in my eyes, so why is it so unequal to you? What more do I have to say for you to trust me?"

"Tell me I'm flawed! Tell me I'm an awful person, and I don't deserve you!"

"But, Ino... I don't think those things about you... Which means, you are the one thinking those things, and you are the only person who can unthink them..." Sakura kissed her cheek lightly, "I can be here for you, but I can't fix you... I don't hold that power... I am willing to hear everything you say, but I cannot agree to tell you what you want to hear, I can only tell you the truth as I see it."

"As you see it? What about how I see it?"

"I just said, I'll listen. I love you... I _love _you, so please, love yourself too..."

"How can you love me after all this?"

"Because I understand what it's like to hate yourself... To think that you are worthless to the people around you... But I want you to know, that you are worth more than anything in the world to me, and instead of leaving because it's too hard, I want to stay because you're worth it. Please, Ino, open up to me..."

"Let's leave this town."


	18. Chapter 17

_The Imposing Semblance_

**Chapter 17**

* * *

><p>"Where are you going so fast?"<p>

The voice was so familiar, it was unfamiliar... Ino stopped and said, "You can't make me keep any of those promises..."

"Then, how can you expect your lover to trust you if you can't keep your promises?"

"Who are you?" Sakura approached the man, and repeated, "Who are you?"

"Ino? Why don't you tell her? I'm sure she knows all about me... Right?"

Ino hesitated, "I don't know where to begin..."

Sakura turned toward Ino, "What's going on?" The pink haired girl felt scared. Was she about to enter a world she wouldn't be able to reach acceptance anymore? What kind of promises had Ino made to this man, and how it would effect their relationship?

"Clarice... You need to leave, go to the house and gather our things. I will meet you at our spot when I'm done here."

"Promises... Remember she's not very good at keeping them." Shikamaru said this like a piece of advice, like he knew first hand, and Sakura felt she was inclined to take that advice.

* * *

><p>That voice echoed through Sakura's mind as she grabbed the essential items she and Ino agreed they would take if they were ever to run. <em>She's not very good at keeping them. Promises. Remember. <em>Sakura could not shake the voice of that man. Nor did she want to. She wanted to hear that question, but she more so wanted to hear the answer. Why was she bad at keeping promises? Would Ino abandon her now? Was Sakura part of a more elaborate plan?

* * *

><p>"Shika..."<p>

"Ino..." Shikamaru approached the blond, and placed a hand gently against her cheek, "I missed you."

"I would be lying if I said I didn't miss you, too." Ino smiled lightly, but hurt.

"I was afraid of this..."

"Of what?" Ino knew the answer before she even asked the question; she had known the entire time, and she knew she had to face this demon now. Ino had a choice, and she hadn't made it yet.

"You love her..." Shika was obviously upset.

"I told you I did..."

"But you told me you loved me more..."

"I take that back..."

"You love her more?"

"I love her, _differently__._"

Shika scoffed, "Differently?"

Ino grabbed Shika's hand, "I'm so sorry."

"You're picking her? After you made me go through all this trouble to find you? I found your hints Ino, I know you wanted to be found! I don't know why it took so goddamn long. You really left me hanging, but I finally reached our last contact, and when they knew nothing, I knew you came here..."

"I knew you'd look here."

"I know you did, Ino, don't play stupid with me anymore, tell me why I'm here if you're going to just run off with the girl?"

Ino hesitated, gulped, sighed, "Shika..."

"It wasn't easy, Ino, I thought I had lost you."

"You did... I wanted you to grow apart from me, to understand the distance I feel from you."

"Ino, why are you always making this so hard. You've proven your point! I won't be king, you'd rather run away with a girl than marry me."

"I'd rather live than marry you, Shikamaru..."

"You could live, I told you I'd give you freedom!"

"While you sit at a throne? While my lover dwindles his days being king? I want an adventure, and I'm surprised you had enough energy in you to get this far. I thought for sure you'd never show..."

"Well you were wrong."

"Not wrong... Just... disappointed in myself..."

"You won't regret a life with me."

"I will though... I will... I can't stay in a kingdom anymore, I need this! I need life! Plus, my father would never let me marry a guard, especially after I've done this."

"I'm willing to give up the kingdom, Ino..."

"But whatever life we built, it would still be your kingdom... Wouldn't it?"

Shikamaru smiled in defeat. He wasn't free spirited like Ino, Shikamaru needed contentment, and this journey had killed him. He knew all his efforts were in vain, and Ino was now torturing him with the past.

"Wouldn't it?"

Shika nodded lightly and whispered, "You're perfect."

"Stop it..." Ino closed her eyes and moved her face closer to his, "Don't remind me..."

"Remind you of what?" This was Shikamaru's last resort... He knew if there were one last thing that could make Ino change her mind, it would be this.

Ino exhaled, "You know..." Bright blue eyes begged at the brown ones.

"You miss the sex?" Shikamaru wrapped his arms around the girl, feeling her figure in his grasp, and pushed his lips against her's. Ino kissed him back, and Sakura flashed across her mind. Ino loved the feeling of Shikamaru, familiar, but Ino had become accustomed to Sakura. Sakura was her breath of fresh air, while Shikamaru was a room full of smog.

Ino pulled away, "I let you find me, so we can say good-bye..."

"Then one more time?"

"I can't... Will you let me go?"

Shikamaru was disappointed, but he let his mind settle, "I have to." He knew Sasuke was sitting at the inn, waiting for his return from his errands. Sasuke knew their journey to find the women was hopeless, but was even more hopeless was that Shikamaru knew where the girls were for sometime, and hadn't shared it with Sasuke. Shikamaru did not want to jeopardize Ino's happiness, but he had wanted Sasuke to come along, in case Ino wanted to abandon the girl. He had thought of all the angles in which this game could play, and he wanted so badly to win, but it was clear that Ino was happy. "Ino..." Shikamaru smiled, "Don't board a ship. I won't ruin this life you've created... I'll go home, I promise."

"Thank you..." Ino smiled back, "Thank you so much..." Ino felt relief, the biggest ball of anxiety diminished in seconds of Shikamaru's last words to her. The last interaction was them smiling sadly at each other, one clearly happier than the other, but the other understanding. _Understanding. _Ino now understood that she needed to be more understanding and open toward Sakura. Ino turned her back to Shikamaru and walked away, as if she had been walking for days without a break.

* * *

><p>It hit Sakura suddenly. She had focused too much on his voice, and not enough on his face. That face was the face of the guard that saw her that day she ran out and into Sasuke's arms. Sakura suddenly felt betrayed. Sakura had "what if's" running through her mind, and she wondered if she could truly trust Ino. Sakura stood with a bag full of things, in a quiet meadow near the docks on the bright blue and green ocean that Sakura feared. There was absolutely no turning back once they boarded a ship. She would be in another new land, relearning life, learning a new culture... Sakura wasn't prepared for that kind of stimulation. The pink-haired girl wondered how long it would take her before she gave up.<p>

What if Ino didn't show up? What if Sakura was waiting for absolutely no reason? What if hours were to pass, and Ino didn't show? Sakura remembered when Ino hadn't come to the cottage for a long time, but when she did, she brought a proposal, and an adventure... If Sakura waited, would Ino take her on another adventure? One that required more effort than anything else in the world? Gold and riches could only get you so far.

Then, Sakura remembered she could have chosen a life with Sasuke... She could be worry-free right now with someone who treats her well... But, she wanted an adventure, and she was having an adventure. _Mom? Did I make a mistake?_

"My Cherry..."Forums+

"Princess?"

Ino smiled, "Sit down, I want to tell you everything... Beginning to end..."

Sakura smiled back, "I would love to listen to you, my love." Sakura had felt worried only seconds ago, but Ino's presence reassured her. Although she felt betrayed, and confused, Sakura also remembered the trust she had invested in the other girl, and knew that this story had a happy ending.

Despite the trials faced, and the trust that wobbled in the hands of the unbalanced, a bond had grown so strongly between the two girls that they knew for whatever else came, they would still be holding each other up.

"That was quick..."

"I had to make sure I had enough time to tell you my story, and still watch the sun set with my beautiful Cherry blossom," Ino pulled Sakura with her to the ground, and they sat in the grass, staring at the ocean, wrapped up in each other's arms.

"And I'm ready to see the sun rise, with my wonderful Dawn." Sakura leaned into Ino, and their bodies melted together. Sakura closed her eyes, and Ino began to talk, spilling her most inner thoughts without a second thought, and Sakura accepted each thought as it came to life.

And they knew this story has a happy ending.

* * *

><p><strong>Thoughts? Critiques? I appreciate any input, and love to hear what you thought about the story, characters, andor plot. I understand my grammar isn't fantastic , and some of my sentences are structured funky, but I hope you enjoyed my writing style none-the-less. I look forward to hearing from you.**

**Thank you for reading, and reviewing!**

**-Nara Katie**

**PS: **I apologize for all the typos, I know there's a lot, and my excuse is that I have no excuse, I'm just lazy. :P****


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